East Calcutta Wetlands

Children ride in a pedal boat on a small lake near the town of Chingrihata, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Three-wheeled motorcycle carts transport vegetables from farms on rural roads around Dhapa, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, India.

A fire burns at the Dhapa Dumping Ground, the main landfill for Kolkata, India.

Piles of asphalt waiting to be melted down and recycled at a small facility near the Dhapa landfill, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A farmer walks along a path in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Bantala, Kolkata, India.

Leather incinerator furnace near the town of Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India

Sunrise through silhouetted foliage in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Palm trees and electrical towers mix near the town of Bantala, in the East Kolkata wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A fisherman rests at a hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Girl at a recycling operation near Dhapa, Kolkata, India. Dhapa is the site of the main landfill for Kolkata.

Primitive furnaces in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Bantala burn scrap leather from handbag factories, Kolkata, India. The furnaces belch out thick smoke day in and day out, contributing to Kolkata's poor air quality.

Sunset over the town of Chingrihata and the EM Bypass, from a remote footpath in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Portrait of two young men in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen ply the waters of the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India, with the backdrop of Salt Lake City reflecting in the silvery waters.

Workers carry baskets of leather scraps to be incinerated near the town of Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. There are more than a dozen furnaces putting out large volumes of toxic smoke all day, and workers wear no protection.

Teenagers from the town of Chingrihata smoke in a fishing hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. Small hand-rolled cigarettes are very cheap and widely available in Kolkata.

Large-leafed plant (sp.) (Elephant Ear?) on a path in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A man stirs a leather incinerator against a backdrop of electrical towers and the setting sun, near the town of Bantala, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A stray dog eats a live fish given to it by nearby fishermen who are hauling in a net. The dog two whole fish. East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Cyclists pass a fishing hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen unload the morning's catch at a small dock in the town of Chingrihata, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Lambs on a farm in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A fishing hut sits suspended over parched land in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A misty winter morning on a footpath in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Chingrihata, Kolkata, India.

Kids play soccer in a village near the rural town of Bantala, Kolkata, India.

A worker at a small plastic recycling facility in Dhapa, Kolkata, India, right next to the Dhapa dumping ground, which is the main landfill for Kolkata.

A large tree and a fishing hut are silhouetted at sunset in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Colorful laundry reflects in the waters of the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Women in saris pick wildflowers near the tiny village of Bantala, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. They're working within 50 meters of the massive Dhapa landfill.

Primitive furnaces in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Bantala burn scrap leather from handbag factories, Kolkata, India. The furnaces belch out thick smoke day in and day out, contributing to Kolkata's poor air quality.

With invasive water hyacinth in the foreground, fishermen gather around a fire on a cold winter morning, in the town of Chingrihata, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

An idyllic, pastoral scene with a large tree, fishing hut, and boat on a foggy morning, East Kolkata wetlands near Chingrihata, Kolkata, India.

A girl smiles for a portrait near the Dhapa landfill, Kolkata, India. Hundreds of people work at farms and recycling facilities near the landfill.

Fishermen gather fish from an area of hyacinth in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A woman harvests wildflowers near the Dhapa dumping grounds in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Dhapa is the primary landfill for Kolkata's 13 million residents.

Sunset over open water and palm trees near Chingrihata, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A silhouetted bird carries a small fish to a perch atop a stick, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Tree reflecting in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Chingrihata, Kolkata, India.

Algae grows in a fishing boat in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A farming family on an old three-wheel motorcycle pass in front of the Dhapa Dumping Grounds, the primary landfill for Kolkata, India.

Cormorants (sp.) gather on a fishing hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Children ride the bikes on a rural road near the Dhapa Dumping Ground, the primary landfill for Kolkata, India.

Fishermen tend a net, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Primitive furnaces in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Bantala burn scrap leather from handbag factories, Kolkata, India. The furnaces belch out thick smoke day in and day out, contributing to Kolkata's poor air quality.

A fisherman in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. They use the poles for propulsion and to scare up fish by beating the water.

Children walk atop a fence at a lake locally referred to as Kalighatpur, near Science City in Kolkata, India. A shantytown lines the banks of the lake.

Farmer leads cows down a rural road near the Dhapa dumping ground, the main landfill for Kolkata, India.

Ducks in a small lake near the town of Chingrihata, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A shantytown on the banks of a small lake that is locally referred to as Kalighatpur, near Science City in Kolkata, India.

Leather incinerator furnace near the town of Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India

Distant view of a group of women in saris walking on a footpath in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A woman is silhouetted as she walks along a path on a foggy morning in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Farmers transporting cauliflower on old three-wheel motorcycles pass in front of the Dhapa Dumping Grounds, the primary landfill for Kolkata, India.

Primitive furnaces in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Bantala burn scrap leather from handbag factories, Kolkata, India. The furnaces belch out thick smoke day in and day out, contributing to Kolkata's poor air quality.

General view of the Dhapa Dumping Ground, the primary landfill for Kolkata, India.

Children walk atop a fence at a lake locally referred to as Kalighatpur, near Science City in Kolkata, India. A shantytown lines the banks of the lake.

Ealry morning fog over a tree and fishing hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Flowers (sp.) growing in parched and cracked soil in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Cabbage being farmed near the Dhapa Dumping Ground, the primary landfill for Kolkata, India.

Wild marijuana (Cannabis sativa) growing on the side of the road in Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Unidentified plant (sp.) on a misty morning in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Dry ground in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Workers build a brick path through crop fields near the town of Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Women in saris pick wildflowers near the tiny village of Bantala, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. They're working within 50 meters of the massive Dhapa landfill.

Children walk atop a fence at a lake locally referred to as Kalighatpur, near Science City in Kolkata, India. A shantytown lines the banks of the lake.

A brother and sister bike home from school on a trail in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen at work in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. In the background is Salt Lake City.

Plastic burns in a fire at the Dhapa landfill, Kolkata, India. Dhapa is the main landfill for Kolkata's 13 million people.

A man stirs a leather incinerator against a backdrop of electrical towers and the setting sun, near the town of Bantala, in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

A rustic motorcycle cart carries vegetables for sale to small villages throughout the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Children in the town of Chingrihata smoke cigarettes on a small footpath in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. Small hand-rolled cigarettes are very cheap and widely available in Kolkata.

Fisherman on open water on a foggy winter morning in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. Direct from the camera. No post-processing.

A fishing hut and a large tree in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fisherman on open water on a foggy winter morning in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen haul in nets in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen gather fish from an area of hyacinth in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Sunrise on a foggy December morning in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Children at a small plastic recycling facility in Dhapa, Kolkata, India, right next to the Dhapa dumping ground, which is the main landfill for Kolkata.

A decaying brick wall in water, in a construction area in the East Kolkata Wetlands near Dhapa, Kolkata, India.

Teenagers from the town of Chingrihata smoke in a fishing hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. Small hand-rolled cigarettes are very cheap and widely available in Kolkata.

A canal in the East Kolkata wetlands, Kolkata, India. In the distance is the planned satellite city of Salt Lake City.

Snail shells line a grassy embankment in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Fishermen haul in nets in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Wild marijuana (Cannabis sativa) growing on the side of the road in Bantala, East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India.

Scrap leather waiting to be burned in furnaces in the East Kolkata Wetlands, near the rural town of Bantala, Kolkata, India.

A small hut in the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kolkata, India. In the background is Salt Lake City, a planned satellite city in northeast Kolkata.